KC Water Fun Guide
Summer is the season for watersports. Fortunately, Kansas City has something for everyone! From free spraygrounds for young children, to daring water rides for teens and adults, to classes and programs, pools and waterparks and everything in between. Dive into fun this summer!
Tip: Most of these attractions are open Memorial Day Weekend - Labor Day Weekend.
Kansas City Area Waterparks:
- The world record-breaking Verrückt opened at Schlitterbahn (913.334.5200)last summer with international attention. Parking is free, picnics are welcome and adventures are endless. Ride through an interconnected river system that takes guests through more than a mile of rapids, currents and tidal waves. Enjoy waterslides and a water coaster and ride the waves on the surf ride. For little ones, the Kids Splash area offers 13 mini-slides.
- The metro’s original outdoor water park, Oceans of Fun (816.454.4545) also offers fantastic attractions for all ages, including Aruba Tuba, Surf City Wave Pool, Buccaneer Bay, Coconut Cove and much more. New in 2015 enjoy Splash Island, a 4200-square-foot interactive water attraction! Admission to Oceans of Fun and Worlds of Fun is combined in one ticket price so you can enjoy the waterpark and roller coasters all in one day! Tip: Gold Pass members enjoy unlimited visits to BOTH theme parks and FREE parking.
- Kansas City’s indoor water resort, Great Wolf Lodge (855.826.8062), is an 84-degree indoor water park boasts more than 38,000 square feet of water-packed excitement, including jaw-dropping slides for thrill seekers and zero-depth entry areas for little ones.
- Another favorite is CoCo Key (816.737.0200), featuring 55,000 square feet of indoor fun with a wading pool, slides, fast tube rides, activity pools and more!
A Few of our Favorite Pools
- Overland Park Swimming Pools: The City of Overland Park has six outdoor pools. Bluejacket Pool: Avoid summertime shivers in this heated pool flanked by decks, shade and grassy areas. Marty Pool: Built in 1994, Marty is the ideal facility for younger children. The facility is surrounded by lots of grassy areas perfect for laying out or relaxing. Tomahawk Ridge Aquatic Center: At TRAC, the city's largest overall pool facility, visitors can enjoy lots of shade and grassy areas for laying out or relaxing. Roe Pool: Set among trees in a pleasant park atmosphere, Roe has water depths ranging from 3-feet-6-inches to 12 feet. Stonegate Pool: Originally, the city's smallest pool, Stonegate Pool was rebuilt in 2009 after more than 40 years of summertime fun. Young's Pool: One of the city's largest pools, Young's makes its mark with a 31-foot-tall water slide that dares guests to take the plunge down the drop slide. The indoor pools at Matt Ross Community Center are open year round.
- Summit Waves in Lee's Summit: A family aquatic center featuring a 904-ft Action River! The outdoor water park also features one body slide and one tube slide, a six lane lap pool with diving boards, a water playground area featuring mini-slides, dump buckets and more. When taking a break enjoy the concession stand with healthy items, snacks, drinks and more.
- Black Bob Bay in Olathe: This waterpark features Raft Water Slides, Lazy River,Shallow Water Play Structures, Family Changing Room, Shade Areas for Party Rentals, Dive well (2 1-meter diving boards and 2 3-meter diving boards), 50-Meter Pool and Baby Pool.
- Discover more with our online guide to Kansas City's pools and water parks.
Swim Beaches at Kansas City area Lakes:
For land-locked Midwesterners craving a little sand between their toes, no ocean views can be found nearby. But the area does feature several sandy swim beaches for affordable family fun in the sun!
Tip: Visit beach websites for hours and admission rates.
- Blue Springs Lake (Jackson County, MO, 816.503.4870, www.JacksonGov.org, keyword: beaches)
- Longview Lake (Jackson County, MO, 816.503.4870, www.JacksonGov.org, keyword: beaches)
- Shawnee Mission Park Beach (Johnson County, KS, 913.312.8847, http://www.JCPRD.com/Parks_Facilities/Shawnee_Mission.cfm)
- Kill Creek Park Beach (Johnson County, KS, 913.312.8847, http://www.JCPRD.com/Parks_Facilities/Kill_Creek.cfm)
- Smithville Lake Beach (Clay County, MO, 816.407.3400, www.SmithvilleMO.org)
- Watkins Woolen Mill State Park Lake (Clay County, MO, 816.580.3387, www.MOStateParks.com)
- BONUS: Enjoy Beach Volleyball at these venues: Volleyball Beach (13105 Holmes Rd., Kansas City, MO, 816.942.2820), Shawnee Mission Volleyball Beach (19800 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, KS, 913.422.4070) or Centerline Beach Volleyball (1910 US 40 Hwy., Blue Springs, MO, 816.224.4455).
Boat Rental at Kansas City area Lakes:
- Jackson County, MO, offers boat rental at Blue Springs Lake, Longview Lake and Lake Jacomo (816.503.4870, www.JacksonGov.org).All three lakes offer pontoon, bass boat and fishing boat rental. Lake Jacomo also features pedal boat and canoe rental.
- Johnson County, KS, offers boat rental at Shawnee Mission Park and Kill Creek Park (913.312.8847, www.JCPRD.com). Boat rentals include pedal boats, canoes and fishing boats.
- Clay County, MO, offers rental of pontoons and fishing boats at Smithville Lake (816.407.3420, www.SmithvilleMO.org).
- Wyandotte County, KS, offers fishing boat rental at Wyandotte County Lake (913.299.8488, www.WyCoKCK.org).
Great Fishing Spots in Missouri and Kansas:
- Kill Creek Park (Olathe, KS)
- Shawnee Mission Park (Lenexa, KS)
- Antioch Park (Olathe, KS)
- Heritage Park (Olathe, KS)
- Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (Overland Park, KS)
- Englewood Lake (Kansas City North, MO)
- Lake of the Woods in Swope Park (Kansas City, MO)
- Blue Springs Lake (Lee's Summit, MO)
- Lake Jacomo (Blue Springs, MO)
- Longview Lake (Kansas City, MO)
Skiing, Sailing and Scuba Diving
- Skiing: KC Watersports (25825 Edgemore Rd., Paola, KS, 913.783.4300) offers the best wakeboarding destination in the Midwest. Their 7.5-acre cable lake is home to a five-tower Rixen Cable, an overhead cable system with the ability to carry six riders at the same time. The lake boasts the most challenging set of rails, ramps and sliders in the United States. They offer classes, programs and camps.
- Sailing: Learn to sail at Lake Jacomo in Missouri with the Jacomo Sailing Club (816.678.7761) or on Lake Perry in Kansas with Clifton's Columbus School of Sail (913.220.5177). Lessons are offered for beginning sailors and can quickly become a family sport. Or, become a spectator of the sport and watch sailboat races every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 from May to October on Lake Jacomo, where boats sail from both Sailboat Cove on the east side and the marina on the west side.
- Scuba Diving: Adventure Sports (913.962-2323), KC Dive Shop (913.677.3483), Midwest Aquatics (913.402.0403) and Frogman Dive Center (816.200.2881) offer scuba diving sessions and lessons for youngsters. They also offer excursions, including adventures at the Bonne Terre Mines and Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas lakes. The truly adventurous can even embark on a Caribbean trip.
Kansas City Area Spraygrounds:
Kansas City is home to many wonderful Spraygrounds! Spraygrounds are water playgrounds where children can run and play through sprinklers and sprays on a safe surface. This is a fantastic, fun, FREE way to cool off on a hot Summer Day. Spraygrounds are open Memorial Day - Labor Day across the Metro! If we're missing any Spraygrounds from our list, contact kristina@kcparent.com.
Kansas City Missouri Spraygrounds: (Open 11am-7pm)
- Harmony Park: E. 10th St & Agnes Ave. Kansas City, MO
- Jacob L. Loose Park: W. 52nd Terrace & Summit Ave. Kansas City, MO (Closed Wednesdays.)
- Sunnyside Park: W. 83rd St. & Summit Ave. Kansas City, MO
- Longview Tract: 7107 Longview Rd. Kansas City, MO
- Golden Oaks Park: N.E. 46th Street & N. Antioch Rd. Kansas City, MO
- Garrison Square: E. 4th St. & Forest Ave. Kansas City, MO
- Central Park: Linwood Blvd & Bales Ave. Kansas City, MO
- Nelson C. Crews Park: E. 27th St & Michigan Ave. Kansas City, MO
- Douglass Playground at Grace Williams Nicholl Park: 2632 Jarboe St. Kansas City, MO
- Zona Rosa: I-29 and Barry Rd. Kansas City MO
Independence Missouri Spraygrounds:
- McCoy Park: 24 Highway & N. Delaware
- Rotary Park: 24th & Hardy
Lee's Summit Missouri Sprayground:
- Miller J. Fields Park: 1301 SE 3rd Terr
Grandview Missouri Spraygrounds:
- John Anderson Park: 4701 E. 135th Street (Note: This one features a fun pirate theme! This Sprayground is featured in the photo on the right.)
Liberty Missouri Spraygrounds:
- City Park: 970 S. Highway 291
- Ruth Moore Park: 401 N. Morse
Kansas City Kansas Spraygrounds:
- Eisenhower Park: 2901 N. 72nd St.
- Heathwood Park: 10th & Parallel Pkwy